Charcoal-methanol adsorption refrigerator powered by a compound parabolic concentrating solar collector

A compound parabolic concentrating solar collector (CPC) of concentration ratio 3.9 and aperture area 2.0 m 2 was used to power an intermittent solid adsorption refrigerator and ice maker using activated charcoal (carbon) as the adsorbing medium and methanol as the working fluid. The copper tube rec...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Solar energy 1994-08, Vol.53 (2), p.191-197
Main Authors: Headley, O.StC, Kothdiwala, A.F., McDoom, I.A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ACTIVATED CARBON
ADSORBENTS
ADSORPTION
ALCOHOLS
Applied sciences
CARBON
COMPOUND PARABOLIC CONCENTRATORS
COOLING
ELEMENTS
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
METHANOL
Natural energy
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
REFRIGERATION
REFRIGERATORS
Solar collectors
SOLAR CONCENTRATORS
SOLAR COOLING SYSTEMS
SOLAR ENERGY
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR REFRIGERATION
SOLAR REFRIGERATORS
Solar thermal conversion
SORPTION
TESTING 140909 > Solar Thermal Utilization-- Miscellaneous Solar Applications-- (1980-)
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A compound parabolic concentrating solar collector (CPC) of concentration ratio 3.9 and aperture area 2.0 m 2 was used to power an intermittent solid adsorption refrigerator and ice maker using activated charcoal (carbon) as the adsorbing medium and methanol as the working fluid. The copper tube receiver of the CPC was packed with 2.5 kg of imported adsorbent 207E3, which was only utilised when the performance of activated charcoal (ACJ1, produced from local coconut shells) was found to be inferior to the imported adsorbent. Up to 1 kg of ice at an evaporator temperature of −6°C was produced, with the net solar coefficient of performance (COP) being of the order of 0.02. Maximum receiver/adsorbent temperature recorded was 154°C on a day when the insolation was 26.8 MJ/m −2. Temperatures in excess of 150°C are undesirable since they favour the conversion of methanol to dimethyl ether, a noncondensable gas which inhibits both condensation and adsorption. The major advantage of this system is its ability to produce ice even on overcast days (insolation ∼ 10 MJ/M −2).
ISSN:0038-092X
1471-1257
DOI:10.1016/0038-092X(94)90481-2